


Thinking About Time and the End of an Era

by ExcavatingLizard



Series: Moments out of time [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, No Beta We Die Like Fear Avatars, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29533389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExcavatingLizard/pseuds/ExcavatingLizard
Summary: Kirk and Spock consider time, and especially their time aboard theEnterprise.Set near the end of the five year mission, no spoilers.
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Spock
Series: Moments out of time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2169735
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Thinking About Time and the End of an Era

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to write this as just another little snippet of life.  
> prompts used from [here](https://colormayfade.tumblr.com/generator): 2am, observatory

“Captain.”

It was the beginning of Gamma shift, which meant that it was too late for the Alpha shift members to be awake, and the Betas were probably getting dinner in the mess, so Kirk had the observation deck to himself. Well, he should have.

“Mr. Spock.” He tipped his head, and Spock joined him in companionable silence at the railing, staring into the slow-moving mass of stars outside the window.

They were waiting to rendezvous with a supply ship, which meant a couple days moving at sub-warp speed. Deep space had its perks, but the lack of nearby Starbases was definitely a strike against it in Kirk’s book. Not that he’d want to be anywhere else. Kirk felt more at home in space than he ever had back in San Francisco, or hell, even Iowa. Some shore leave was still long overdue though.

Sometimes he’d joke with Bones that he had space flowing through his veins instead of blood. ‘Just one of the perks of being born next to a black hole, same as all those allergies’. Bones was unconvinced of course, swatting him and herding him out of medbay, claiming he was upsetting the patients. Kirk would primly inform him that seeing the captain was actually a morale boost, which usually earned him a snort and the medbay door shut in his face. As CMO, Bones was the only one who could put Kirk in his place, and he never passed on the opportunity.

“The supply transport should be arriving within the next 48 hours,” Spock said, breaking through his thoughts.

“Not a minute too soon,” Kirk snorted, “Scotty’s just itching to get the warp core back up and running. I'm almost scared to ask what he’s been doing these past couple of days; you know how he gets when he’s bored. I'll be glad if I still have my eyebrows to greet the shuttle this time.

If Spock had been human he might have chuckled, but Kirk read his amusement anyway in the line of his shoulders and the twitch of his lips that was the closest he ever got to a smile. “While I have the utmost faith in Mr. Scott’s engineering abilities, I agree that it may be best for us to be on our way soon, lest we find ourselves with a fully re-routed fuel system.”

Kirk shook his head with a snort before turning back to stare out at the stars. As odd as it seemed considering that they were a  _ space _ vessel, it was actually rare for the stars to be visible from the  _ Enterprise _ . At warp, the observation deck showed nothing but darkness occasionally punctuated by streaks of energy and matter moving past at well faster than the speed of light. There was usually little reason to move at sub-warp speeds, and when there was it regularly entailed getting fired on by Klingon Birds of Prey or yet another disastrous away mission. The peaceful waiting was a good change of pace, even if it had the crew grumbling and twitching to be gone.

Time was hard to measure in space. Humans— and Vulcans and Andorians and basically every other carbon-based race— had evolved to measure their time in days regulated by the rise and set of their respective suns, something decidedly lacking in space. Even Spock’s perfect internal clock could get screwed adapting to ship time, as evidenced by his presence on the observation deck at what must have been the equivalent of two in the morning.

Some days seemed to drag like every movement was coated in syrup. Others raced by so fast that Kirk tried to reach out and catch them, hold them close, even if for just one moment more. Each time he and the other Alpha bridge members ate together in the mess, not bothering to deny that they were acting like a high school clique. Each scowl and hypo and concerned look that Bones tried to hide from him. Even the close calls, and the close calls that ended in a letter to family and an empty space in the ship that the crew maneuvered around like a tongue worrying a missing tooth. Kirk stored away each and every moment he spent aboard the _Enterprise_ , trying to weave them into a tapestry of his life. Something he could keep close to his heart, just for himself at the end of it all. And it would end.

“Captain, is something troubling you?”

Kirk sighed, “Not exactly. I was just thinking… about this.”

“This?” Spock had turned away from the window to look at him, but Kirk kept his view glued securely to the vacuum and pinpoints of light outside the fragile metal shell of the ship.

“Everything, I suppose.” He gestured vaguely, trying to put his thoughts into words.

“Sometimes I think that our mission will never end, that we’ll be out here forever, cataloging new worlds and sending star charts back to the ‘fleet. But then I remember that we’re already in the home stretch,” then he did turn to Spock, and his first officer’s eyes held recognition and… a kind of unmistakable melancholy. It was like having his own emotions reflected back at him through the dark lense of Spock’s gaze.

Spock might convince himself that he had a firm grasp on his emotions, but all it really took was one look at those all-too-human eyes to understand the depth of his thoughts.

“I believe I know what you mean, Captain. I frequently find myself wondering what form my life will take at the conclusion of our mission. It is illogical to worry over the future, however it often seems that any path I may have expected to open before me has already been closed.”

Spock jumped when Kirk’s hand brushed his own, but soon he relaxed back against the banister, leaving their fingers touching. Kirk felt his friend’s lingering sadness. They had lost so much in between the stars. It had shaped them, formed them into something different from their other-universe counterparts. There were years of his life that Kirk could never get back. There were years that he wouldn’t give up for anything.

“The best we can do right now is live in the moment,” Kirk said quietly, “take everything one step at a time. I know I have no plans to leave this ship any time soon. I'd still have you as my first officer, if you’ll accept.”

Spock barely pauses before nodding, “I would be amenable to that suggestion, captain.”

Kirk allowed himself a smile as he and Spock stood shoulder to shoulder. Tomorrow was another day. They would get up and go through the familiar movements, life would continue, and the  _ Enterprise _ would rumble steadily through space.


End file.
